The Maltese National Beach Handball teams departed for Gaeta, Italy, on Thursday morning to compete in the Calise Cup, taking place from 12 to 14 June. The tournament marks their first international commitment of the 2026 season.

Held annually in Gaeta, the Calise Cup is one of the flagship events on the European Beach Handball Tour, attracting leading men’s and women’s club teams from across Europe and beyond, with valuable continental ranking points on offer.

Both Maltese teams have been drawn in Group B. The men’s side will face Italy’s Colosseum Handball B, Brazil’s Niterói Rugby FC – Handebol and Latvia’s C4H10 Melluzhi Jurmala. The Brazilian and Latvian teams are widely regarded among the tournament favourites and are expected to challenge for the title.

The women’s team will compete against Portugal’s GRD Leça – Love Tiles, Great Britain’s Olympia Beach Handball and the Netherlands’ Beach Handball Tilburg.

The trip will also serve as an important preparation opportunity beyond the tournament itself. Before the competition, the men’s team will play friendly matches against the Brazilian side and the Italian national team, while the women’s squad will take on teams from Brazil and Slovakia. Following the Calise Cup, both Maltese teams will remain in Gaeta for a two-day training camp alongside the Australian national team.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, men’s coach Pedro Texeira highlighted the team’s preparations and long-term objectives.

“We have been very focused in our preparation for this competition throughout the year, but intensity has been built up in the past few weeks, and the dynamics within the teams are very good. This trip, which forms part of a holistic, long-term plan with the Maltese Olympic Committee, sees us in our third consecutive summer of competition, and each step builds the structure towards next year’s Mediterranean Beach Games.”

Men’s Team

Coach: Pedro Texeira

Frans Buhagiar, Neil Gruppetta, Adam Hackett, Thomas Hackett, Liam Harrison, Alan Portelli, Jeremy Scicluna, Jacques Seifert, Matthew Spiteri and Daniel Tanti Farrugia.

Women’s Team

Coach: Daniel Tanti Farrugia

Daryl Azzopardi, Stephanie Brincat, Raquelle Ciantar, Natasha Farrugia Randon, Stephanie Grima Agius, Emma Pecorella, Elizabeth Schiavone, Nolene Vella, Gabriella Xuereb and Karen Zammit.

The Maltese delegation is headed by Ádám Süle as Head of Delegation. The national beach handball teams are supported by the European Handball Federation, Visit Malta and the Maltese Olympic Committee.